1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for repelling animals, and more particularly to an antipest mat that delivers electrical shocks to deter rodents from entering vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
A frequently encountered problem is the presence unwanted animals living in habitats used by people. Rodents, such as mice and rats, are particularly difficult to control because of their prolific breeding, their ability to gnaw their way into structural materials, and because of their ability to learn to evade poisons and traps set out to deal with them.
Mice and rats are universally considered annoying pests, but these pests can be particularly destructive to aircraft. Rodents such as mice and rats often seek to enter aircraft as a place to nest. Rats are known to have caused aircraft engine problems by clogging air intakes with nesting material. Rats can cause damage to the vital systems of aircraft by gnawing on the insulation of electrical wires for communications, control, and navigation systems. Rodents also cause damage by gnawing on gaskets and weatherproofing seals which can destroy the integrity of the aircraft.
In addition to the gnawing problem, rodents compromise the mechanical and electrical systems of aircraft with their excretions. Rat droppings and urine are highly corrosives to the wiring and structural materials commonly used in aircraft.
Rats and mice, and the parasites such as fleas, ticks and mites that rodents carry are also carriers of diseases, such as hantavirus, ricksettia, leptospirosis, and typhoid. In the confined space such as an aircraft or other vehicle, the potential for spreading of rodent carried diseases to humans is particularly high. In addition to spreading diseases to the passengers and crew, rats and mice after traveling in aircraft can spread diseases to new areas.
Because rats and mice are relatively intelligent, they can quickly learn to avoid areas where they have previously experienced harm. Deterrent devices that take advantage of the intelligent nature of these rodents have proven to be effective. Systems designed to deter, rather than to exterminate or trap rodents, have the additional advantage that the deterrent systems need not be designed to attract the pests to a trap, which can result in an increased population of rodents in a given area. In some cases, devices designed to exterminate or trap rats are ineffective on a long-term basis because the remaining rats and mice respond to the decreased population by breeding more prolifically.
Thus, an antipest mat solving the aforementioned problems is desired.